"Lord of Dust..."
"Just call me Guizhong. The God of Dust, Haagentus, passed away many years ago. What lives in Liyue now is just a weak woman seeking peace and stability, merely a Guizhong fortunate enough to share the name of the Dust Sovereign."
Guizhong waved her hand, interrupting Ningguang's bow. Her tone was gentle as she smiled at the other.
"Understood, Guizhong."
Ningguang didn't stand on ceremony either, directly and warmly addressing the other by name, which also seemed to bring the two a bit closer.
"That's good. I wonder what advice the esteemed Ningguang seeks from this humble girl by coming here?"
"Lord Guizhong..."
"Just kidding, just kidding... So, what brings you to me?"
"It's like this. Regarding the Fatui..."
Ningguang recounted to Guizhong all the things the Fatui had done within Liyue's borders, finally bringing up the Osial incident from a month ago.
She wanted to ask: in facing the Fatui, how should Liyue handle them? Did the divine perspective align with her own thoughts?
"I see... In this matter, you Seven Stars can decide for yourselves. Proceed with confidence and boldness. You have Xin Yan behind you; even if the sky falls, she can hold it up for you."
Guizhong gave a slight smile at this, her tone making clear just how much confidence she had in Xin Yan.
Snezhnaya nowadays is no match for Xin Yan, not even for a single exchange. Worried it's not stable enough?
Then add a Zhongli to the mix.
With both forces combined, even if the Heavenly Principles woke up fully charged, they'd be beaten until their battery ran dry.
"Ningguang understands."
Ningguang gave a slight bow to Guizhong, but was quickly pulled by the arm to sit beside her.
"Enough of that for now. Since you're here, try some of the pastries I made."
Guizhong took out a small box from under the tea table in front of her, her eyes shining as she looked at Ningguang.
She had originally intended these for Xin Yan, but since that one ran off so fast, she might as well let Ningguang have a taste.
One could only say Xin Yan had no luck with food and wasn't worthy of eating her pastries!
Ningguang initially wanted to refuse, but seeing the expectation in Guizhong's eyes, she settled her mind and began to sample them.
As she ate, Ningguang offered fair and honest evaluations. And so, the two progressed to something like a good friendship.
Meanwhile, at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Xin Yan, who had just arrived, was handed a shovel by Hu Tao.
"..."
Looking at the sack slung over Hu Tao's shoulder, Xin Yan knew: this one had gone and bagged Qiqi again.
Later, she should probably resolve the issue with Qiqi and let her return to normal...
The corner of Xin Yan's mouth twitched as she followed Hu Tao out of the funeral parlor. Then, while Hu Tao wasn't paying attention, she separated out a wisp of flame.
This wisp of flame eventually transformed into a miniature Xin Yan figure, which flew straight toward Bubu Pharmacy.
...
[Gojo Kiana: How come Xin Yan's gone missing too? Don't tell me she got depressed from something you said... @Kevin]
[Kevin:...]
[Kevin: It really has nothing to do with me, right?]
[Dr. Na: Wait, Kevin? Bro? Sis?! (sibling photo.jpg)]
[Kevin: How about you become my little sister instead? Kevin isn't worth it. (serious)]
[Dr. Na: Let's talk after my meeting's over. If possible, it'd be best to come here and chat in person. (playing with scalpel.jpg)]
[Kevin: Is that... safe?]
Dr. Na didn't reply for a while, probably busy with the meeting.
[Senju Kiana: Someone come to the Tavern quick! The Little Human Emperor is drunk, and Little Manzui is almost stripped naked! (urgent.jpg)]
[Demon Slayer Na:...]
In the Demon Slayer world, Demon Slayer Na narrowed her eyes, looking at the group chat screen with an expression akin to an old man on the subway staring at his phone.
Why did she feel these people's comedic style was completely out of sync with her own?
"Kiana, what are you thinking about?"
The old man dressed in a blue-green cloud-patterned kimono and wearing a red tengu mask, Sakonji Urokodaki, looked at Demon Slayer Na sitting opposite him, her body wrapped in bandages, his tone slightly puzzled.
Kiana was a child he had found at the foot of the mountain over ten years ago.
Feeling pity for the child with the purple diamond-shaped birthmark under her left eyelid, he had taken her in and named her Urokodaki Kiana.
Since then, as her grandfather, he had raised Kiana, and when she was of the appropriate age, he passed on his Breathing Technique to her, alongside his disciples Sabito and Makomo.
Now, she had grown into a graceful young woman and had even become a Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps.
"It's nothing. Where's that kid Tanjiro, Grandpa?"
Demon Slayer Na shook her head, then looked toward the kimono-clad girl lying nearby, biting a bamboo tube in her sleep.
This girl was a demon named Kamado Nezuko, a demon who had never eaten a human...
She had been recommended here by her junior disciple, one of the current two Water Pillars, Tomioka Giyuu.
"Tanjiro... That child is still splitting that rock. What a hardworking kid..."
Sakonji Urokodaki remarked with a touch of Feeling.
That child worked harder than any disciple he had ever seen.
"I see. Is Makomo helping him?"
Demon Slayer Na placed her hand on Nezuko's smooth, long hair, gently ruffling it.
"Yes, but even with Makomo helping, it seems a bit impossible for Tanjiro to split such a large rock."
Sakonji Urokodaki sighed.
Although Tanjiro truly had talent and worked hard enough, the giant boulder his granddaughter had chosen was perhaps a bit too large.
One could say it was the largest rock for a graduation trial among all his disciples.
"Well, I believe in his potential."
Demon Slayer Na gently pinched Nezuko's soft cheek and smiled slightly.
"Let's not talk about that for now..."
Sakonji Urokodaki shook his head, then his eyes behind the mask fixed intently on Demon Slayer Na as he said gravely:
"Kiana, your injuries... did you encounter an Upper Rank again?"
Sakonji Urokodaki was well aware of his granddaughter's strength. She could be said to be the top swordsman among the current Pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps.
She shouldn't be inferior to the Stone Pillar in the slightest, yet now she was quite injured.
Considering that aside from the last time she encountered Upper Rank Two and incidentally saved the former Flower Pillar, Kiana hadn't suffered such serious injuries.
He figured this time she must have also encountered an Upper Rank demon; otherwise, Sakonji Urokodaki couldn't think of why Kiana would be so badly hurt.
"Yes. Upper Rank Three. He said his name was Akaza. He ran away just before the sun was about to rise."
Demon Slayer Na lowered her gaze, continuing to gently stroke Nezuko as she spoke calmly.
Recalling the battle with her opponent, Demon Slayer Na's eyes flickered slightly.
She felt she had come very close to touching a whole new realm, just that little bit away.
When fighting Akaza, initially she had no advantage; instead, she was suppressed quite miserably.
But as time passed, she gradually adapted to his movements and could counterattack.
Until later, she slowly began to suppress him, right up until she was about to touch that new realm, when the sun gradually began to rise.
And Akaza had said one last thing to her before leaving.
"Although you are a woman, I must admit you are strong. A human's time is fleeting; your strength will not last forever. Become a demon! Urokodaki Kiana!"
But she had refused him with silence. Seeing no reply from her, Akaza had quickly left.
When she wanted to chase after him, her body felt unusually heavy. She had just taken one step before fainting.
When she woke up, she was at the Butterfly Mansion, seeing the very angry Butterfly sisters and their adopted younger sister, the seemingly vacant-looking Kanao.
"Sigh... Anyway, it's good that you're safe..."
Sakonji Urokodaki breathed a sigh of relief. Last time it was Two, who fled because the sun rose.
This time it was Three, who also ran when the sun rose. It seemed his granddaughter's luck was still pretty good.
At the same time, he truly understood the terror of the Upper Ranks.
Even a swordsman as strong as Kiana could sustain such serious injuries. Did the Demon Slayer Corps really have the ability to defeat the progenitor of demons?
-------------------------
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